Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming system including an image forming device (e.g., MFP (Multi-Functional Peripheral)) and a portable terminal and a technique related thereto.
Description of the Related Art
There is a technique for performing wireless communication between an MFP and a portable terminal (see, for example, JP 2014-127130 A).
For example, JP 2014-127130 A (see, for example, paragraph 0038 thereof) discloses a technique for exchanging data between an MFP and a portable terminal with the use of near field communication (NFC) and communication using a wireless LAN. In the technique disclosed in JP 2014-127130 A, first, NFC communication is established between the MFP and the portable terminal, and connection information for wireless LAN communication (SSID (Service Set Identifier) and the like) is transmitted from the MFP to the portable terminal by using the NFC communication. Then, wireless LAN communication is established between the MET and the portable terminal by using the connection information, and, for example, printing data is transmitted from the portable terminal to the MFP via comparatively high-speed wireless LAN communication.
By the way, various wireless communication techniques can be used for communication between an image forming device and a portable terminal. For example, it is considered that short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth communication (communication based on a Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard (including BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy))) is employed instead of NFC (near field communication).
However, a communication range in NFC communication is about several centimeters, whereas a communication range in Bluetooth communication (e.g., BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth LE)) communication) is comparatively large and reaches, for example, about 30 meters in some cases. In the case where BLE communication is performed between a portable terminal and an MFP, the portable terminal and the MFP may actually be some distance away from each other, and therefore there is a concern about a harmful effect thereof.
For example, it is concerned that, in the case where an MFP is placed in a certain building, the MFP can be accessed from a building next to the certain building by using a portable terminal. In short, unauthorized access may be performed from the next building by using a portable terminal.